Life

The 5 Pillars of IRONMAN Training

Our key set of principles for living the triathlon lifestyle.

As our once-niche sport has evolved and grown, it isn't always easy to sort the fact from fiction (or the newfangled training fad from the tried-and-true approach). "Triathletes take great pride in being triathletes, and the first step is a shift in mentality," says eight-time IRONMAN world champion and legendary coach Paula Newby-Fraser, "You have to begin thinking of yourself as a single-sport athlete, and embrace triathlon as something independent and distinct."

Here are the essential lifestyle and training tenets that separate triathlon from other sports:

Balance – Triathlon is a sport in and of itself, not a combination of swimming, biking and running. We balance our strengths and weaknesses to become athletes who train and race holistically.

Consistency – Triathletes weave together work, family and challenging workout schedules. The road to the finish line is paved with a realistic program that allows us to constantly invest to go farther.

Endurance – An athlete's training should reflect the sport and triathlons are ultimately tests of endurance. We subscribe to a simple maxim: If you can sustain, you will succeed.

Adaptability – Setting goals is only part of the journey: A triathlete must always adjust. We aim to develop an intuitive flexibility – responding to our bodies and our lives – to prevent burnout or injury.

Recovery – Successful training incorporates a spectrum of intensity, from full-throttle workouts to rest and recovery. It’s the valleys that make the peaks possible and both are essential to real progress.

Below, four-time IRONMAN world champion Craig Alexander offers his thoughts on the five pillars: